Cow-barn.



J. P. BOWDITCH.

cow BARN.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 24, 1912. 1,090,1 81 Patented Mar. 17, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

WIT 5555:

J. P. BOWDITCH.

00W BARN.

APPLICATION FILED JUNB24, 1912.

Patented Mar. 17, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

JOHN P. BOWDITCH, OF FRAMINGHAM, MASSACHUSETTS.

COW-BARN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

`Patented Mar. 17, 1914.

Application filed J' une 24, 1912. Serial No. 705,357.

To all 'whom 'it may concern Be it known that-I, JOHN P. BowDrrCH, of Framingham, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, a citizen of the United States, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Cow-Barns, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in a barn or stable whereby it is rendered more sanitary than barns usually are without any additional help. In fact by the use of my invention the force of men required to kee the barn clean may be materially reduce My invention will be understood by reference to the drawings which show it applied 1o a barn planned for a considerable number, say one hundred or more head of cattle.

Figure l is a floor plan of such a barn shown diagrammatically. Fig. 2 is an enlarged plan of a portion of the moving elements. Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig.' 2. Fig. 4 is a section on line 4 4 of Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a section on line 5--5 of Fig. 3.

A, A is the portion of the iloor given up to the stalls, A1, A1 being the mangers. The

stalls are arranged head to head in the usual way with the usual feeding walk B, B between each pair of mangers.

C, C are the usual walks behind the stalls .L Between each Walk C and the adjacent row of stalls A is the gutter D which slants as shown in Fig. 3 so that the liquid manure will flow to the drain D1 and through it to a suitable cess-pool D2. These parts should all be of cement or other waterproof material and in practice should be constantly liushed out with water. At each end of the gutter is a flooring D3 which covers the end of the gutter D;

The sides of the gutter D are preferably provided with shoulders d having recesses r11 at convenient points along them to receive friction rolls f and at each end of each glitter is mounted a sprocket wheel E1, E1.

F,`J F, are sprocket chains which are supported on the rolls f and which run over said sprocketl wheels E1, E2. 0n these chains are mounted a series of crosswise slats F1 which are of suiicient length to close the topbf the gutter D, are sufficiently close together to prevent any considerable amount i f solid matter from dropping into the guter D and are of such width as to pass easily In order to move the chains F and the l ioors formed by the slats F1 each pair of sprocket wheels E1 is mounted on a shaft E, these shafts being normally disconnected from each other.

J is a pulley mounted on an axle J1 and connectib e by belt or otherwise with a source of power.

Clutches J2 of any ordinary construction are located one on each side of each pulley J so that it may be connected at will with one or both of the adjoining shafts E. Thus power applied to one of the pulleys J may he transmitted to move one or both of the moving floors located on each side of the pulley, each of the floors being thus movable independently of the others. The sprockets E2 serve as idlers to support the farther end of the chains and each pair of sprockets E2 is mounted on its own shaft suitably supported.

(i is a gutter similar in character to the glitter l) though somewhat wider and provided witha collecting movable Hoor G1 made up of slats supported 011 sprocket chains running on sprocket wheels g, g1 and friction rolls in all respects like the parts F, E1, f which carry the ioorings running in the glitters D. The floor G is located, however, at a lower level than the slats F1 and the gutter Gr lies at right angles to the gutters D in the form of my invention shown in the drawings so as to receive the material from the slats F as they turn around the sprockets E1.

Il. H are hinged tran doors on a level with the main floor by which the gutters G are covered and H1, H1 are trap doors alongside the gutters D which will expose the gutters suticiently to allow them to be flushed from time to time by water applied by means of a hose.

In practice once or twice a day (whenever needed) the-moving doors formed by the slats F1 are moved. in the direction of the arrows toward the mo-ving Hoor G1 and deposit their loads thereon, the floor ,G1 being moved at the same time if thought desirable or later to carry these deposits to a manure p-it K just outside the barn or to any other convenient place, the moving Hoor G1 being sufficiently long for the purpose.

Power is applied to sprocket wheels g by means of a pulley ltmounted on the shaft carrying the sprockets g, and suitable connections with a source of power.

ln order to clean the several slats I provide a brush K1 mounted at the forward end of each floor and of a Width equal to the width of the slats. These brushes are hung in brackets supported in the sides of the gutters D and over-hanging the flooring G1 so as to sweep each slat at its turns under the sprocket wheel El, any brushings falling into the gutter being flushed out when the gutter is flushed. rlhe brushes are adjustable with relation to the slats to take up the wear, their :frames being mounted in slideways in these brackets and held therein by adjusting screws. llhey may be made of heavy willow bristles or of india ubber or the like or of metal as thought est.

l do not mean to limit my invention in any way to the precise construction and arrangement shown, my purpose being to provide a movable floor which shall support the cattle as they walk into and out from the stalls, and shall be always exposed to receive the droppings from the cattle' and which shall be movable from time to time when necessary to ldeposit the droppings upon another moving floor which may carry them to a place of deposit, this latter moving door being movable from time to time' as seems best.

IThe tra doors H which cover the moving door` are not intended to receive any of the droppings nor are the trap doors H1. These trap doors form part of the permavnent floor of the barn or stable, but they are desirable as they may be liftedfor purposes of inspection or flushing when such is deemed necessary.

What li claim as my invention is 1. In a stable, a series ofstalls, a gutter located behind said stalls, a movable floorlocated in'said gutter and forming a top therefor, and means for moving said floor, the bottom of said gutter slanting in a dimedial rection opposite the direction in which the door moves, whereby liquidwill owl ofi' through it.

2. In a stable, a series of stalls, a gutter located in the rear thereof, a movable floor supported in said gutter to form the top thereof, means for moving said iiooi in one directiom'the bottom of said gutter' slantingin the opposite direction to the direction of movement of said Hoor, and a collecting floor located at an angle to said movable door and in close proximity to it and adapted to receive its contents when said firstnamed floor isin motion, andl means for moving said second moving floor.

3. In a stable, a plurality of series of stalls, a gutter located behind each series of stalls, a movable floor located in each gutter and forming the top thereof, said movable floors being at substantially the same level, and a collecting floor located at an angle to all of said first-mentioned moving floors and located to receive the contents thereof and convey them away, and means for moving said movable floors operable independently.

4. n a stable, a series of movable floors arranged on substantially the same level and parallel to each other and comprising slats, a collecting Hoor located at right angles to said. series of floors and at a lower level thereto and adapted to receive the contents thereof, and, a'seriesl of brushes located one at the end of each ofsaid series of movable floors and adapted to sweep matvter attached to the slats thereof onto the collecting floor and means for operating each of said floors operable independently of each other. y

5. n a stable, a plurality of series. of stalls, a series of gutters one located in rear of each series of'stalls, a series of movable floors each located in one of said gutters and forming a top therefor, a collecting floor located` at an angle to said moving floors, means adapted to move each floor independently of the others in a direction toward the collecting" door, said gutters 4slanting in 'a direction awayl from said collecting' floor, and one or more cess 'pools `connected to the' discharge vends of said gutters.

JHN P. BVVlDI'ICI-l.l

Witnesses: l

GEORGE O. G. CoALn, 

